PalwithnoovenP's blog

Hello TFLers! Long time no read! I miss all of you and this great community.

It's been a while and I've been very busy with work. I'm already three months in the service and I just harvested the fruits of my labor. You're asking why I'm asking if I should change my name? When I had my first salary, I bought an oven to I don't know how to put it into words but all of you who have done the same back then would know. :)

I bought a 68-Liter one, not too big when testing recipes but big enough when I double or triple a tested recipe. It also has some pretty fancy heat controls with various combinations for rotisserie, top, bottom or convection. I also needed to reset my mind and math because it is in Celsius. It can go to a maximum of 250°C which is 482°F, a little lower than most ovens but I guess, with convection on, it will be almost the same.

I'm new to my oven so I just tried simple baked goods in it. What I want to really try are some pizzas and lean hearth breads but I don't have a pizza stone and if I have one, I don't want to waste a lot of energy in preheating it. I need to find a way to replicate its thermal properties along with steaming the oven. It's difficult but I know you will be there to help me, right?  :)

I was so happy. We were so happy. So what do you think? Should I change my name PalwithNOoven? If I should, what name/s do you suggest? I would like to hear them.

It had a 7 day replacement warranty so immediately the next day after I bought it, I tested it in case of any malfunctions and then baked day after day for the next 7 days after work even if I was super busy. Sorry for a ton of photos, I was just happy and a little overwhelmed of with using my oven because it's the first time that I have seen and experienced this. :)

Here are some of them:


Rotisserie chicken with Filipino flavors (Lime, Lemongrass, Soy sauce)








Garlic Rice and Chicken  Casserole 


I got a little happy with the broil function so it was a tad too dark, but it was not burnt in real life and we love the texture and flavor.




A repeat of the same dish.


Cantonese Siu Yuk (燒肉) (I'm not sure if these are the characters) 
Crispy roasted pork belly flavored with wine and five spices






A soft and fluffy Sourdough Asian-style Milk Bread
















Brown Sugar Peanut Biscotti

Mini Banana Breads






Their humps remind me of a Madeleine's.



What do you think? Did you have a favorite? Let me know! I want to know where I am since I am new to "oven" baking.

I did not only harvested financial fruits due to my profession but instead harvested more important fruits in the form of my students. In just three months, I have a accumulated a lot of tales and experiences that will be treasured memories for all of us in the bond. I'm so privileged to have those kids in my life that I get emotional sometimes when I reflect on my career. I want to tell more but I really can't put it into words now, maybe some other time.

Wishing you all good health and happiness! Thank you very much!

...Ang inyo pong abang lingkod ay isa nang ganap na guro..!

Yours truly is now a fully-fledged teacher.

Yes, that's the good news that I've been wanting to share for so long but just couldn't find the right opportunity; since it is October 5 today which is celebrated annually as World Teachers' Day, I think it is now the perfect time to share it! I was just hired last September and I've been practicing the profession for almost a month. I consider my self truly blessed this year from passing the board exam to getting hired as a public school teacher. It's very difficult to get hired in public schools due to the strict selection process and I was even luckier considering that I have no teaching experience which a huge chunk of the overall criteria.

I am quickly adjusting to the new environment and busy schedule. My students get a reprimand from me almost everyday that I began questioning myself if what I was doing is right but I came to realize that it was an early sign of developing genuine love for my students that I am here to guide and correct them so they can be a step closer to their dreams.

I am teaching 3 subjects currently to 80 Grade 7 students. AP (Araling Panlipunan - Social Studies - Asian History); MAPEH (Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health); and TLE (Technology and Livelihood Education - Handicraft Production - with focus on Embroidery). Who would have thought I'll be handling these especially the last two since I have never considered my self athletic or artistic. :) It was challenging at first but I am slowly getting the hang of it, from actual instruction to classroom management. Classrooms can be chaotic sometimes due to 13 year olds emotional turmoil thrown into a melange of puberty and constructing their personal identity; but l feel I can control them more now compare to my first days which make the delivery of instruction way easier.

I once spoke in Mandarin to attract their attention and it was effective. :) And I see a considerable number of students who are willing to learn it; always asking me to teach them whenever they see me, their eyes glimmer even if it's just a simple word. I am thinking of pioneering a foreign language class to share what I know even how little it is.


Some gifts that I received from some students during our Teachers' Day Celebration. Even without it, their greetings inspire me more!

Although I have no bread or two to share now, I would like to take this opportunity to greet all teachers here in the TFL community a Happy Teachers' Day! Not only those who are teaching in schools but every baker here who teaches every baking aficionado  everything that they know for the improvement of skills and the realization of dreams! I am so thankful to all of you!

Maligayang Araw ng mga Guro!

Happy Teacher's Day!

Something is keeping me busy these days so I have no time to bake and post. I thought I'd share something that I baked during my review days that I still haven't posted.

As you know I love Chinese breads, baked or steamed and the more I love Chinese pastries and all things in between. It's the green onion pancake that is my favorite I must say. Flaky, crispy, chewy with lovely green onion flavor; my cravings get the better of me every time. I really like it that I made yeasted breads before inspired by it here and another one here. By the way, green onion has many names depending on where you live, I've read them as green onions / spring onions / scallions in recipes.

I was craving for it that time and I had a somewhat crazy idea that I really wanted to try so I made these for a win-win situation. A green onion pancake is already very very good but I want to make it better. It's the flakiness that I like best so increasing the layers was the game plan here. My previous breads have sesame along with the green onion but this time I used green onion alone for its flavor to shine.

I called them baraja from Spanish baraja which means a deck of cards because they look like a deck of cards. Baraha in Filipino which obviously came from Spanish means either a deck of cards or just a single card hence I stuck with the Spanish spelling because it specifically means a deck. :)

I made a dough with flour and water and I let it rest for a couple of hours then I made a roux with lard and other meat drippings. If you keep pork fat, chicken fat, duck fat or goose fat at the back of your fridge; this is an application that is worthy of and will greatly benefit from your hard earned delicious rendered fat. All were set so what's only left is the shaping/assembly. I employed a different folding/lamination technique; normally you roll the dough into a thin wide circle, brush it with the roux then sprinkle it with green onions, roll into a jelly roll then coil it into a snail. I cut the dough into 4 portions and this is what I did.

For the simple ones, I filled 2 of the 4 pieces with roux and stuffed a huge amount of green onions in them. I closed them up, rolled them flat and gave each a single and a double turn. If you make croissants, you know what I mean.



I then rolled them flat once again before cooking.



For the complex ones and the ones worthy of the title baraja, I divided each of the remaining pieces into 3 before repeating the procedure above for each piece as you can see in the photo below.



I then stacked the 3 pieces with lard in between each piece before finally rolling it flat. So for the layer count; if you count all the layers in each piece minus the dough-dough interface, you got 13 layers (it means the simple bread above has 13 layers and this is triple of that). With lard in between each piece, you count them as separate layers because it will be a dough-fat continuum so it means 3 layers of 13. So 13 x 3 = 39, a total of 39 layers; a standard deck of cards has 52. Although it's not quite a standard deck of cards, the results are still dramatic and fantastic and can easily be remedied by adding a 4th 13 layer piece.



So the layers were increased but I used another cooking method other than pan frying that makes this a million times better than my regular green onion pancake. I cooked them on a dry frying pan until the surface is cooked and no longer sticks then I transferred them to my preheated clay pot to bake over pebbles to crisp and achieve a rich brown hue. Here are the results.


One of each kind from the first batch after baking.




One of each kind from the second batch. The 39-layered one is on the left.


13 layers.


39-layered green onion baraja.

Both has that nice green onion flavor since I put lots, 250 grams to be exact. It has an intensely savory flavor but somewhat sweet. If you like a bit heat, you can sprinkle some white pepper during the lamination, sesame is also a welcome addition; the flavor combinations are endless and I have some ideas in mind already that I want to try. It is not greasy like a typical green onion pancake, it has a bit of chew and is extra crispy from the clay pot bake. The increased layers changed the texture significantly, its like eating a savory croissant; extremely flaky and crispy with shards falling everywhere. And the smoky flavor and aroma it picked-up from the pebbles and the pot when combined with the green onion's make up for a very old world flavor that is satisfying and comforting that stirs the emotion.


Clear defined layers but not as dramatic as the one below.



Very dramatic layering. It really deserves to be called baraja, I will increase the layers next time to 52 so the name fits it more. When I look at it closely, it does not look just like a deck of cards to me, I think it also looks like a small book with numerous sheets, leaves and pages so I think you can also call this libretto, librito, or librillo. I am so satisfied with this bake and I want to make it again. In fact, I am craving for it right now I type this and look at the photos. Happy baking!

Some photos of orchids from our yard at that time too.


Some orchids past their prime near our mini "taro plantation".



I managed to capture some in their full bloom. Enjoy!

This is something that I made a few months ago when I wasn't actively posting. I almost forgot it until I saw it again last week so I thought of posting it. These were inspired by Kao Bao Zi, meat filled buns baked in a tandoor oven from a specific region in China.

As Chinese is our theme now, I would like to share a story; I hope I will feel a little better later. I just lost a friend (well not really a friend according to most standards) to the Big C just months after it was diagnosed. The cancer was an aggressive one that affected his blood and a tumor formed between his heart and lungs. I really could not believe it until we visited the family.

I just met him after a Chinese language proficiency exam and there was an instant connection. We were not even close, it's only the love for studying Mandarin (and languages in general) that connects us but I feel sad and still could not believe at what happened. He was the best in Mandarin in our university and he was an inspiration to us. Many of us dream to be even just a quarter as good as him. He knows many languages too; he can speak, read and write Mandarin (both simplified and traditional characters), Japanese (yes, all of Japan's 3 writing systems), Korean, Thai and Indonesian. As you can notice he has a penchant for Asian languages.
 
I was just a little shocked with one of life's realities of going to the wake of someone who is my contemporary. As usual I did not look at him for the last time as I want that the memories that will remain will be those from the time when he was a alive, enthusiastic and happy. I saw him last March and that's what I want to remember. The funny thing was even in his wake, us who were fans of studying Mandarin can't help but study and talk in Mandarin there. We said that if he was only there, he would be happy to teach and talk to us. We taught each other new vocabulary and learned many things.

Okay, I feel a little better now. Here are the buns.

The dough was made with a 48 hour retarded levain fed with AP, AP flour, water, sugar, salt and oil. The stuffing was made with ground pork, soy sauce, garlic and chili. I used a chili that's pretty spicy so I cannot put many so I did not get the red color that I wanted. I put the pork raw so the buns will be juicy. 



I rolled each one into a thin wide sheet then I spread the pork paste, rolled it into a cylinder and coiled it. I made it this way to evenly distribute the filling in the bun. I first cooked them on a dry pan 1 minute on each side then baked for 10 minutes on each side. One was extra boldly baked but did not taste bitter.



The buns were crispy on the outside and a little chewy that is perfect to hold the juice. The inside was so juicy and the dough-meat interface was nicely gooey but not so much that it makes you puke from soggy bread. The stuffing packs a great bold flavor but something you don't want to eat on a date. The heat kicks your nose, tongue and throat but it does not burn them so badly for you to grab a glass of ice cold water immediately. The only thing to improve here is to put more stuffing. Very delicious!









Look at that chili bit peeping from the dough.



I'll definitely make something similar next time albeit with more stuffing. I think I will also try different flavors in the stuffing. And maybe I will try browning the pork for some extra flavor. A chewier bun will also take this to new heights.

My first "bagel-crust" squares were a hit; a tad softer and fluffier but with all the loved characteristics of a bagel. We loved them so much that I decided to make them again with a different variation. Ian (isand66) always reminds me of the seeds and other bagel toppings in my past bagel bakes so I made this one with his suggestions in my mind.

I found some dried onions the other day in the supermarket. Norm's onion rolls immediately popped into my mind. Is this the dried onions that are used in them? I really want to know the flavor of dried onions for a long time so I grabbed it immediately and I was able to make a "formula" quickly.



What else goes better with onion other than potato? They're best friends! I bought 250 g of potato (raw weight), scrubbed the skins clean, cut them so they were roughly the same size and cooked them until soft on top of our steaming rice for fuel efficiency. I think it's common for most Asian families take advantage of the steam from cooking rice from a free facial to cooking and reheating food.



I let them cool before I mashed them. They were not as soft as boiled ones so I was not able to mash them as finely with my hands which I kinda like; there were still bits of potato in the finished bread. I soaked the dried onions in hot water for 30 minutes and I saved the soaking water for the dough. They were then seasoned with a bit of salt, sugar, oil and freshly ground black pepper. The dough has bread flour, onion soaking water, salt, sugar, levain, potatoes and 1 tbsp of butter. With the huge amount of potato (almost equal to the flour), I find that it doesn't need fat to be soft, the butter was more for flavor like in mashed potatoes.



I kneaded until gluten was sufficiently developed then I added the onions which added a considerable amount of liquid. I kneaded the dough a bit more just until the extra moisture was absorbed.



Bulk ferment was fast, just over 3 hours. I think potato is also one of the things that my starter loves.



I shaped it into a neat square then to the fridge immediately. I found out next morning that it was way overproofed (my dough was really fast with high activity) so I reshaped it into a square and put it back in the fridge to bake it in the afternoon. Still, it proofed just right despite the short time in the cold; it will be overproofed again if I didn't check it earlier.



I cut it into 4 squares; I did not trim the edges anymore because this is a huge batch of dough so scraps can take precious clay pot space which I did not want.



I boiled them straight from the fridge 1 minute on each side before baking it in the clay pot.



I drained them on a towel and when the surface was just sticky to the touch I rolled one in sesame seeds just to test if they will burn badly in the pot or not. Ian, here are the seeds you've been looking for!

I baked them until golden brown on both sides with live fire all the time. Here they are baking.



Here are the results:









As control, I baked one without boiling just to see if it makes it a difference. Clearly it does as you can see. You already miss the shiny crust that boiling provides. Here are side by side comparisons.








The cut "sides" also did not bake the same. I think that the cuts baked like how "scores" in other breads bake.


 


Although I call them rolls, they are quite hefty. Each is as big as my palm.



The crust of the non-boiled one was thicker, crunchy in a sense that it was drier and was also messier to cut. The crust of the boiled ones were thinner, crisper but more elastic and stretchier and more delicate; the best thing that we love about a bagel (apparently only me loves their chew that's why I came up with a recipe to emulate their signature crust but has a softer fluffier crumb). No wonder that we prefer the boiled ones. The crumb is hands down my best to date. It was the same for both versions; somewhat open, very very moist and soft with the barest hint of chew. A huge amount of potatoes really creates a special texture. My family says this is my best bread and we will earn some money if I will sell them. The black bits in the crumb are bits of black pepper.





The flavor was bomb! The potatoes, onion, pepper and sourdough worked together to create a taste so sublime. Perfect sweetness and tang. It felt like eating a slice of a good pizza even though there's no trace of tomatoes, cheese or meat in here! The sesame version was even more aromatic. It was my favorite in terms of looks and taste. I will make them all with sesame next time for the added flavor and crunch. If there is one thing that I wish I could have done, it is to increase the pepper; a more peppery bite will surely send this over the edge. It is my family's favorite in terms of texture and flavor. Definitely a keeper!

Crumb from different parts and angles of the rolls.


I was surprised by the open crumb / large bubbles in this one. 





Finally, some random photos. :)





"Bagel-crust squares" is a pretty long name so I am thinking of a new name for them. I am planning to call them "Kulo Rolls" from "kulo" which means "boil" in Filipino but I don't think it will sound very nice to the ears of a Spanish speaker. :) Anyhow, I might stick with that name next time. Thanks!

Yesterday was our Oath-Taking ceremony. It was full of pride and joy. Why wouldn't we be proud and happy when I found out that I was 17th all over the country. I only prayed to pass and out 76,673 who took the licensure exam, only 22,936 passed and out of those 22,936, I am the 17th! To celebrate the occasion, I made this special bread.

It is a panettone-like bread in terms of flavor but I added just a tablespoon of butter. Why? Because I have other plans for this bread. The dough was made with bread flour, all-purpose flour (because I ran out bread flour), eggs, sugar, salt and butter. Kneading was only 20 minutes and it made a strong windowpane perhaps because of the all-purpose flour with less gluten. The dough was rich even with just a bit of butter because aside from the water in the levain, all the liquid came from the eggs. My starter was slow in raising this dough so I left it overnight at room temperature for bulk fermentation. Great decision. After 12 hours it was doubled, nicely risen and fermented.

I don't have candied peel so I added only raisins in the dough but because I want to pack as much raisins as possible; I stretched it into a thin and long rectangle then scattered raisins rolled it from the long end and coiled into a snail to shape it before proofing it in the tin. I did not soak the raisins because I don't want extra moisture and I want the raisins to even dry the dough. Proofing took 4 hours and it is as high as the tin before baking.





Hence, it made a nice dome after baking. The sides were a lovely golden brown with blisters the there was even a little browning on top. I can't believe that I made this lovely bread. It has an air of an "Alfonso Pepe" Panettone.






Look at those blisters.



My plan for this bread is to turn it into a special bread pudding for a special occasion. A more elegant one because it involved the whole bread being turned into a pudding unlike other puddings which use cut-up bread. To make this pudding I let this delicious bread dry (I originally intend to use the word "stale" but decided against it because it was just dried with no stale flavor) in the fridge for 2 days then bathed in a rich custard flavored with orange and vanilla to make a similar flavor profile to my panettone french toast dream that didn't materialize last time. I think this bread and bread pudding is special because you make a bread with the pudding in mind, you make a special bread with a purpose rather than finding a way to save a bread that you unintentionally let stale. I added very little butter because I want the crumb to be sturdier because it will be soaked in custard so it will still have integrity when it is already a pudding. 

I cut the dome off the bread last friday for a neat finish and to facilitate the soaking of the bread; it was a substantial snack on Friday afternoon. Here is the inside of the freshly baked bread. It was not feathery but still light, soft and fluffy. No tang at all with the right sweetness and so aromatic. It was a very good raisin bread.


The dome.


This is the portion that was turned into a pudding.





The fridge did a very good job in drying this bread so it absorbed the custard well. I bake the bread last Friday and the custard on Saturday night because I know we will be euphoric from the Oath-Taking ceremony and might not have the energy to do thing so I prepared things in advance so I can just bake this pudding straight away to celebrate. When we got home yesterday, everything was prepared so I just soaked the bread with the custard. Perfect time-saver because we were already tired from the long travel and we were trying to catch a replay of the Pacquiao-Matthysse fight. :) I'm happy for our senator's win but I'm happier for my parents yesterday.


Here is the bread getting bathed in custard.


After an overnight custard soak.

I baked the bread pudding for 20 minutes over live fire and 20 minutes over ember just to dry the center. I knew it was done because I can smell it from upstairs, so aromatic! I was greeted by this beauty when I opened the clay pot. It looks very silky! I can imagine a crunchy caramel top would so well with it.


It looks like a perfect candidate to be "bruleed". If I had a torch, I would brulee it! 

The bread definitely became plumper and heavier and the lines became harder and straighter. I love how it looks!







I love how the sides are crispy and the inside is so silky and custardy! Perfect contrast! And the crumb maintained its structure that I have an idea how the fresh bread looked from the inside. My orange-vanilla custard trick worked too, it feels like I am eating a panettone bread pudding with plump and juicy raisins. It's like turning a whole panettone into French toast. The pudding was already very rich so it needs no additional custard or whipped cream or syrups; it perfect as it is. The texture was different from a normal bread pudding. It feels like eating a very moist and silky slice of bread. It's hard to explain. It's just so good, perfect for the occasion!


My dad was so excited to taste it so he cut it immediately into perfectly neat slices.



A truly memorable treat for a memorable occasion!

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Some pictures from the Oath-Taking Ceremony.

I wore a traditional formal wear reserved for the most formal of occasions.

Any formal wear would do but I decided to wear my best Barong Tagalog because our Code of Ethics states that each teacher is a trustee of the cultural and educational heritage of the nation and is under obligation to transmit such heritage as well as to elevate national morality, promote national pride, cultivate love of country, instill allegiance to the constitution and all duly constituted authorities, and promote obedience to the laws of the state.

 
WIth my very proud, happy and thankful parents.

 


With the pin signifying that I am already a fully-fledged Licensed Professional Teacher.

It was a once in a lifetime experience. I felt goosebumps especially when we spoke our oath and I almost stuttered with some of the words. All of the sleepless nights, time, money, effort of mine and my parents did not go to waste. I managed to hold back my tears especially during the singing of the Hymn of Professionals with lyrics like this. 

Propesyonalismo at integridad
Professionalism and integrity
Responsibilidad sa bayang nililiyag
(Our) Resposibility to (our) beloved nation
Kahusaya't kaalaman
Excellence and Knowledge
Taglay naming mga propesyonal
Us professionals have

I think I almost cried because I felt each word, the gravity of the duties that are now on our shoulders and the challenges that await us and that even in my lowly condition in life, I am now considered a professional.

With all the pride and joy comes this tremendous duty and responsibility. This is not the end, this is just the beginning of real life journey and I can't wait to practice it to touch and mold young lives. The achievements of mine are now finished, it is about my students now. It is now a lifelong goal to be the best teacher that I can be for my students. Thank God for everything! Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for letting me into your life!

Rainy days have long come over but the luscious, sweet and juicy mangoes that I have frozen remind me of summer. Hot and humid sunny days where you spend your time outdoors playing, kite-flying, swimming only to go home at dusk smelly and dirty. Ah! The good old days! It's the time almost every kid is looking forward to...

... the rain just can't stop me in bringing summer into our home. Summer's Last Hurrah! I made this fabulous mango tart.

This was inspired by a dessert that Nancy Silverton made with Julia Child. It was the first time that I saw a yeasted bread dough as a base for a tart. It was far more complex than this one; in addition to the creme fraiche custard brioche tart, it was served with wine-poached fruits and a rich sabayon. What moved me as I watched it was when Julia cried as she tasted it declaring it as the best dessert she ever had.

Here is my take on a similar dessert with my own spin to it using mangoes (which is my favorite fruit) harvested from our own yard, sourdough and a special custard..



I made the dough using the leftover bran levain that's why it has bit of texture and character. I usually keep a bit of the past levain then make a levain out of it for the next bake then I keep a bit again until the the next bake; the cycle continues on and on. When I find out that the leftover levain is hard or has changed color, that's the only time that I get some from my stock starter to make a levain.

The dough was made with a bit of sugar, salt, 2 bantam eggs, enough milk to make a very soft dough, levain, bread flour and butter. I added more butter than I'm used to for my enriched breads which makes this definitely a brioche. The liquid content was also high for lightness so the dough was very sticky but after kneading which took 30 minutes, it was very strong and not sticky at all. Bulk fermentation at room temperature took 4 hours, sugar was not very high so it doubled easily. I then refrigerated it overnight.



I divided the dough into 2 and made a single big tart and miniature ones.

For the miniature ones, I divided the dough into 6 and shaped each into batards. I let them rise in my mini llaneras until almost doubled. I then made a depression in the center to deposit the custard and mangoes. The custard was a deconstructed pastry cream. I thickened some milk flavored with vanilla with some starch then added the eggs to be baked later which means it was a baked custard as opposed to a stirred one like pastry cream.

The lava custard was mainly inspired by a Japanese cheesecake shop along with some other desserts like liu sha bao and lava cake. For both the big and mini tarts, they were bake at a high temperature with live fire to cook and brown the brioche base quickly and to cook the custard at a safe temperature while still maintaining it's runny consistency before it has the chance to set completely.





Up close...







You can see that the mango transformed and became firmer in the clay pot.









It's baking time was quicker so it did not brown or the custard will set. Despite all of that, the lava effect was to a greater effect in the large tart.







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It's monsoon season now; in fact we experienced heavy rains today from a typhoon-augmented southwest monsoon but looking at the pictures of this tart still makes me think of summer. Flood in the yard is about knee-deep but thigh-deep in the area near the river. Here are some photos from different parts of the yard.










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For the single large tart, I rolled it into a circle 2 inches larger than my tin. I then employed Silverton's technique of folding the edges into the center for a raised decorative edge. I let it rise until doubled then deposited a large amount of custard and sliced mangoes.





I baked it for 30 minutes over a roaring fire for brown crispy base and runny lava filling. For both versions, I let them cool to room temp then chilled them for a couple of hours until completely cold. This tart was huge, almost 3 inches tall. The filling was very jiggly and the tart looks a bit delicate that I still don't know how I managed to get it out flawlessly from a tin without a removable bottom. Its look is inspiring me to try a deep dish pizza next time.



I have something to attend to the next day so I cut it despite the absence of natural light because I want to taste it at it's best. 



If you look at the side and edges from different angles they look very different. They look like rugged mountains.









Here is the lava, you can see it flowing and gushing out from the cut tart.



Under natural light. I don't want to miss the details that only natural light seems to provide to photos. You can see how light the crumb is. It grew more than 4 times its original volume, hence the lightness from the well developed dough.







The bit of bran in the levain made for a nice bite in the finished tarts. Both were light but the large tart was definitely lighter, almost feathery but still did not fall under the heavy filling and fruit. The mini ones were soft all over but the large one has a nice crispness that provides a nice contrast with the soft and fluffy crumb.

This one was exceptionally tangy, even tangier than my WW loaf. I know, bran contributes to the tang but it was very low this time. Perhaps the milk and egg or other enrichments were responsible for this. My parents who do not like very sour bread loved it because it adds to the overall experience. Its tang goes exceptionally well and balances the sweet rich custard and the sweet mangoes (mangoes here when ripe are super sweet with no tang at all) and makes you feel like eating a creme fraiche custard or a very light cheesecake. Very very delicious! Now, I just have to find a way to fit in more mangoes in this tart.







To cap off this wonderful tart experience, I want to share with you a video about teachers. (NOTE: The video was set in 1996 which I think is a time where corporal punishment is still the norm for instilling discipline to students. It might also be accepted in some cultures but not in other cultures. Please take note of that. :) Also, the ritual of paying respects to teachers seen in the video is unique to just a few countries and must not be seen as teachers putting themselves as supreme authority; in fact we do not have it in our country but we respect teachers and show our gratitude in a different way.)

It is in Thai but it has English subtitles. When I watched this, I wish I knew Thai to fully appreciate its meaning because there is always something lost in translation but I realized now that you do not need language to understand its message. It was shown to us during my review as a motivational video. I am a type of person that is not easily brought to tears even by very dramatic scenes from movies or series but this immediately gave me a weird feeling and as the video ended I can already feel a tear forming in the corner of my right eye.

I watched this again right after I knew that I pass the licensure exam and just 12 seconds into the video, I started to cry with tears running through my cheeks from both eyes. I knew that moment that this is going to be my life God willing and I know how difficult it is but at the same time how rewarding and fulfilling it is to be a teacher. Our oath taking ceremony is this Sunday. I hope you enjoy! Thank you very much!

Another one of my not-so-successful bakes aesthetically but the flavor is so good.

I was intrigued by uncle Dab's bran levain when I first read it a couple of years ago and I wanted to try it because he says it softens the bran and makes the bread more sour but I could not find whole grains in my area. Finally I found some whole wheat (It's been years since I have laid my hands on some WW and made a bread out of it) in my local baking supply store so I immediately tried it out. I made it two weeks ago but I did not have time to post it even though I have plans despite it not being 100% successful. More and more TFLers are trying it too with good results. Sesame and whole wheat are a pretty classic combination I decided to go with that and here is my interpretation of it.



This was a 50/50 WW/BF blend so I gathered the required amount of WW and sifted the hard bits out. I got quite a huge amount that is almost enough for my 2 levain builds which surprised me.



Here is the high extraction flour that I got (Am I using the right terms?). I autolysed it in the fridge until the next day for almost 24 hours to ensure that any hard bit that went through the sieve can soften adequately. I just added water until it formed a dough. I then took 1 tsp. out of my stock starter and fed it with the bran until I got a thick paste. I was not used to the coarser bran so I just made a paste because it did not incorporate as flour used to. I was wondering how will I monitor any activity with every piece of bran just sitting atop each other.


Just after feeding for the 2nd build.

The next day the levain rose a bit and was full of bubbles; its aroma has also changed, nutty and sour. For the second build the bran was not enough anymore so I added a bit of bread flour. It looked like nothing was happening but I was about to see the fastest activity of my starter that day. Just past 1 hour and it already doubled. I didn't really expect that it will be much more active with the bran perhaps because of added nutrients; normally it will take 2.5-3 hours for it to double. I refrigerated it for a bit because I need to go outside at that time.



I mixed the autolyse, levain, bread flour, salt and just a little more water. These were mixed just until I got a soft dough.

I gave the dough 3 sets of S&F's each one hour apart.



I incorporated plenty of toasted sesame seeds after the first set of S&F. Bulk rise took a total of 4 hours.



Here is where it got tangled. :) The dough was very active, doubling every S&F. I do not know why I let it hang out at room temperature at 34°C for 30 minutes. Sometimes, I put my shaped white doughs in the fridge immediately when I know its activity is super; this WW dough was more active! 

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It was already fully proofed by the time I put it in the fridge. The next morning, I knew immediately that it was overproofed because the volume was much much lower that when I put it in. Still had no idea why I forgot, I think it will still overproof even if I put it directly in the fridge after shaping. Perhaps, I should have put it the fridge after the last S&F so the core temperature will cool down and it won't overproof in the fridge. I think the best course for breads with whole grains or high activity is to just shape and proof the next day since the final proof is so quick! That's what I will do next time.



Here is the pancake that I've got. I was a bit sad because the dough was already looking so good, I even managed to score it. I just baked it until golden on both sides and it looked very different from the dough.



The dough was a little sticky with poor support on its structure so it was difficult to maneuver into the clay pot and it stuck to the pebbles which was difficult to pry hence it was ripped on one side.



Crust was not as crispy and shiny as I would have liked. Volume was very poor and spreading was serious. Crumb was a little dense but still soft. BUT...

The flavor! It was so good. Nice whole wheat flavor which goes great with the toasted sesame. The aroma was heavenly when it came out of the pot. No bitterness, a little sweet perhaps from the long autolyse. It was clearly very tangy because of the added whole grain, several notches tangier than normal, almost as tangy as my super sour white SD. No roughness! All of the bran was softened than when I just used WW directly as I did before. It just feels like eating a white bread with a bit more character. The rough bran is one of the reasons why I'm not a big fan of WW breads before. Bran levain works like magic!




It looks like a slice of pie here. :)











If you look at the slices, though not so desirable, they look perfect for bruschetta; albeit bigger more filling ones.

I just discovered the magic of avocado in a savory application. Never knew it would be so good. It was one of the combinations that I was hesitant to try because we only have avocados in sweets. It was like pumpkin which is used for sweets in the west and only in savory here. Thankfully, I was courageous enough and knew what I was missing for years.

It's avocado season here now so we have some good ones in the house. Of course, most went to our usual treat, chilled with condensed milk. For me, I took half an avocado, mashed it a bit and seasoned it with salt, pepper and calamansi which is a local lime. I spread it on a toasted slice and topped it with fresh tomatoes. I'm salivating again as I type this. So delicious!

Avocado Toast as a part of my dinner.


This side is burnt, let's view it from the good side.

We love pie so I made some pie to celebrate Father's Day!

These are fried pies. I used a crust that is meant to be very tender and flaky. The filling is creamy tuna in white sauce. They are also very crispy after frying with the crispness that you associate with a croissant.

A fast food chain here sells tuna pies which is popular but I'm not a big fan of it. I will be bold and say that these are a million times better! Everyone who tastes this says that I should sell this and it will be a hit. Should I take the bait?













And a fried flaky mooncake filled with purple yam paste for dessert! Decadent and delicious!






Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there! Maligayang Araw ng mga Ama! Bonne fête des Pères ! 父亲节快乐！

I did not have any plans to post this but as a record of by baking journey, I decided to post it today.

I found some candied peel last month in my favorite baking supplies store that's about to go bad (well, actually more of about to decline in quality) in 5 days which was on sale 50% off. It was expensive with it's regular price I thought, and now I can buy this without burning a hole in my pocket for me to taste it and use it in recipes. I immediately grabbed 2 bags then I thought it was the perfect time for me to try making panettone since I already have an established starter. I also grabbed some golden raisins and paid all of them at the counter. Half of the peels went to the fruit cake that I posted last time and half went into this.



It's my dream to bake a panettone though almost everyone thinks it is a humongous challenge to make but one day I have gathered enough courage to try my hand at it. Everything was going well; my starter more than triples in 4 hours, the first dough nicely tripled until it was time to add the enrichment. Panettone is something best done in a mixer but I'm stubborn so I still went even if I only have my hands. I was surprised with how soupy it was, because it's been a long time I have handled doughs like this in addition to stress and lack of sleep I was rattled and added a ton of flour to the dough. When I finished incorporating it, it was so dry and stiff and the dough almost doubled in mass; things you don't want for a rich but light as air bread. From that point on, I know this was bound to fail but I still continued hoping for something edible. I don't want to waste those sugar, eggs and butter; I'm going all or nothing here!



I dumped all the raisins and the candied peel into the dough and kneaded them in. After a 2 hour rest I shaped them into 2 boules (I only planned to make 1 but the dough almost doubled because of the added flour) and proofed one in the tin overnight at room temperature. The other boule was retarded for several days before it was baked because I can't squeeze it in my tight schedule due to prior commitments (and maybe also due to a little frustration). To add salt to the wound, the first one stuck in the tin so i had to pry it out and it was torn into pieces so we just ate it and no pictures. I was more careful with the second one so it had some photos, I put parchment paper in the tin so no sticking. I slashed it after proofing overnight at room temperature and baked it in my clay pot for 30 minutes with live fire and another 30 minutes over embers and this is what I got.

 







Oven spring leaves much to be desired. You can also tell it by the way the cut expanded. I did not flip it so the top was a little pale but the bottom was not burnt and is a little thick and crispy with the top soft and a bit moist. The crumb was dry and dense but studded by the raisins and candied peel.

Although it looks nothing like panettone and might even offend some PPP (People Passionate for Panettone), I still do not consider it a total failure. Only the texture suffered but the taste was superb. No tang at all, sweet, rich and buttery with the taste of the raisins and the candied peel shining through. It is very seldom that we taste something as great as this. My dad is very picky about his food but this one received no complaints from him. In fact it was the inspiration why I made the fruitcakes, the same flavor profile that my dad loves. We just found out that it wast the combination butter, eggs, raisins and candied peel that make fruitcakes taste fruitcakes and so delicious so I made  a batch for his birthday last month.

The texture was perfect to turn it into french toast but it did not see the light of the next day anymore for its milk and egg bath because it was gone in a flash! It was that good.











We're celebrating our 120th Independence Day today so here is a photo of me wearing our traditional formal wear. This was taken as souvenir photo when we passed the licensure exam. I'm still looking for what to wear for our oath taking. (Each teacher is a trustee of the cultural and educational heritage of the nation.)

Happy Independence Day to all my countrymen! Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan!



I hope you enjoyed this post! Happy baking everyone!